Most Role Playing Games at the beginning began in a fantasy setting. Many of these had a physics and a chemistry that made little sense. Of course, the players didn't care, so long as the GMs didn't try to create too much that was arbitrary and/or made little sense (as we currently understand it). Today, the physics and chemistry usually make more sense.

Soon enough RPGs began to appear with a quasi historical or futuristic setting, based more or less upon an alternate Earth reality. Technology often replaced Magic, but sometimes not.

As time went by, game systems and settings began to combine aspects of each: with fictional super-powers, undead, alternate universes, but within a general understanding of our own historical timeline. So,

I) Do people prefer mostly fantasy?

II) Do people prefer mostly history?

III) Or a combination? How much of each?

To me, historical basis and magic level should be inversely proportional for a world to have the kind of depth I love, because I'm very aware of the effects of a horseshoe nail, so to speak.

A world with onscreen gods, multiple sapients, high magic, superpowers (ugh, eugenic magic), >lightspeed spaceships etc. should be virtually unrecognisable by Earth standards because all those add up to more than can truly be modelled.

Inversely, a historical setting with magical elements has to keep them small or/and rare to be believeable. See George R.R. Martin & Tolkien's work. That sort of thing's best based on well-researched folklore local to the region in question.

Worlds in transition from the latter to the former type can also be brilliant settings.

Lastly, on a personal note "high magic is real in a modern setting but a world-controlling elite keeps it out of the hands of the proles because something something panic something something normals aren't worthy" really gets up my nose and immediately makes me hate said resource-hoarding elites. What absoloute mouldy fruitcakes.

I think Combo

Much of what I run (and play) on Rpol is Call of Cthulhu and similar games. That is, fantasy/horror in an historical setting. I find that it's nice to have a solid setting in the period, but it doesn't pay to be too pedantic.

A mobile phone in the 1920s? Nossir. A functional motorcycle in the 1890s? Okay.

So, a combination, heavy on the history.

I love running games in historical Earth, with a fantasy twist.  I always do a lot of research and pull in as much as I can from real history.

In this line, let me point out that 1922 is an awesome year to set a game in.  (I have done so, which is why I know these.)

• The Teapot Dome scandal broke, showing Harding and his cronies to be the crooks that they were.
• The U.S. was 2 years into Prohibition.
• Al Capone was a rising young crime-boss wannabe in Chicago, having just moved there under a cloud of suspicion surrounding the death of Big Jim Colosimo
• There was a massive meteor in Virginia that lit up the night sky
• The tomb of Tutankhamen was discovered.
• The movie Nosferatu was released.
• It was early in the big transition of automobiles that paved the way for bank robbery gangs like the Barrow Gang.  (Through the 20's the gangs had Oldsmobiles or Buicks that could do 40 or even 50 mph, while the cops still had Model T's that topped out at 30 mph.)

I am developing a game at the moment based on The Lost Regiment series of books by William Forstchen.

A US Infantry regiment during the Civil War gets sucked through a wormhole to another world populated by other human civilizations from different eras, Medieval Russians, ancient Rome, China, Carthage, Japan to name just a few.

Also on this world is an alien humanoid race that was once technologically advance but has degenerated back to a horse mounted society like the Mongol empire.  They ride around the world in massive hordes, feeding on the humans as though they were cattle, keeping the human civilizations subdued.

The Lost Regiment start a rebellion against the Hordes and over a series of 6 books, the technological advancements come up to about WW1 tech levels.  It almost has a steampunk feel by this stage.

So this has a combination of Historical elements with the Civil War characters, then almost a time travel aspect plus throw in man eating aliens and it's a party like no other!

No promises that I'll play, but I like your idea(s).

Who's ideas are you referring to?  Or did you mean everyone?

Yours! If I'm quoting from someone that's not immediately before, I'll put in a 'quote'.

In reply to azzuri (msg # 9):

Thanks :)